Theories of Language Acquisition

Language acquisition refers to how humans can develop the ability to understand and use language. Numerous language acquisition theories in the English Language aim to understand and explain how the process begins and progresses. Let’s take a look at some of the most notable theories of language acquisition, along with the theorists of language development.

There are four main theories of language acquisition that we learn in English Language. These are:

Behavioural theory (BF Skinner theory of language acquisition)

The Behavioural theory of language acquisition, sometimes called the Imitation Theory, is part of behaviourist theory.

Behaviourism proposes that we are a product of our environment.

Therefore, children have no internal mechanism or ability to develop language by themselves. BF Skinner (1957) suggests that children learn the language first by imitating their caregivers (usually parents) and then modifying their use of language due to operant conditioning.

Skinner suggested that children first learn words and phrases from their caregivers or others around them and eventually try to say and use those words correctly. In this case, operant conditioning occurs when a caregiver responds to the child’s attempt at using language. If the child uses language correctly, the caregiver may respond by telling the child they’re clever or otherwise showing their approval. If the child makes a request, such as asking for food, the caregiver may reward the child by providing it. This is positive reinforcement. If the child uses language incorrectly, makes a mistake, or is incoherent, they are more likely to receive negative reinforcement from the caregiver.

They can be told they’re wrong and then be corrected or simply be ignored. Negative reinforcement teaches the child which mistakes to avoid and how to correct them.

Cognitive theory (Jean Piaget theory of language acquisition)

The Cognitive theory of language acquisition suggests that the primary drives behind our actions are our thoughts and internal processes. Jean Piaget (1923) assumes that children are born with relatively little cognitive ability, but their minds develop and build new schemas (ideas and understanding of how the world works) as they age and experience the world around them.

Eventually, they can apply language to their schemas through assimilation (fitting new information into what is already known) and accommodation (changing one’s schemas to support new information).

Piaget believed that cognitive development had to come before language development because it would be impossible for children to express things that they don’t yet understand. For example, a younger child with no sense of time couldn’t express things in the future tense or speak hypothetically, no matter how much they are taught language.

Nativist theory (Noam Chomsky theory of language acquisition)

Noam Chomsky (1957) proposes that children are born with an instinct or drive for language learning which he calls the language acquisition device (LAD). He argued that even if a child is not educated in their country’s language, so long as they grow in a normal environment, they will still devise a system of verbal communication. Therefore, there must be an innate, biological component to language acquisition.

Interactionist theory (Jerome Bruner theory of language acquisition)

Jerome Bruner (1961) believed that children are born with an ability to develop language but they require regular interaction with their caregivers or teachers to learn and understand it to a level of full fluency. This idea is known as the Language Acquisition Support System (LASS).

Caregivers tend to correct mistakes that children make when using language and also regularly teach them what objects are and what their purposes are. Bruner suggests that this helps to build the scaffolding that children will later rely on when further developing language.

A caregiver may also use child-directed speech (CDS), altering their own use of language to make it easier for a child to conceptualize language independently.

Adapted from: https://www.studysmarter.us/explanations/english/ languageacquisition/

theories-of-language-acquisition Acesso em 14/07/2023